Bhutan’s unique, authentic and cheerful calling card

Tomorrow’s end of the world notwithstanding and In a spirit of optimism for the year ahead here’s a photograph of a young monk I snapped during one of several trips I have been fortunate enough to make to Bhutan.

Novice monk, Bhutan – 1986, by Charlie Pownall

So-called Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon, Bhutan is the origin of the Gross National Happiness indicator, which measures progress in terms of the spiritual, physical, social and environmental health of its citizens and natural environment.

Bhutan certainly feels a happy place, and GNH is surely an uplifting if idiosyncratic, alternative to GDP.

Not advertised, marketed or pushed through social media to the external world, organic word of mouth has propelled it to be a powerful calling card and export.